Kimbrough leads Jordan past Hardaway
Jordan quarterback Romello Kimbrough put on a show for the Red Jacket fans at Kinnett Stadium as he led his team to a 41-33 win over neighboring Hardaway at Kinnett Stadium.
Kimbrough threw for three scores and ran for two more in leading the Jackets. He finished the game with 238 yards passing and added 139 yards on the ground to account for 377 yards of total offense in the game.
"This was a heck of a game," said Jordan coach Jim Brown.
"They played us a lot of man coverage and we felt like we could hurt them with our routes, and Romello was really hot in that first half. I think he got tired a bit in the second half because we ran him pretty hard, but he had a heck of a game."
Kimbrough got the first score on Jordan's opening drive, finding D'Andre Snead with a 14-yard strike at the 8:36 mark. Jogel Ramirez added the first of his five extra points on the night for a 7-0 lead.
Hardaway wasted no time in tying the game. The Hawks marched 69 yards in less than two minutes. Sophomore Marco Lee carried in from six yards out and Freddie Zamudio's kick tied it with 6:40 to go in the first period.
Jordan would score on its next two possessions to extend the lead. Kimbrough hit his favorite target in Snead over the middle for a 45-yard scoring play to make it 14-0 with 4:41 to go in the first, and then would add his third scoring toss of the half at the 8:49 mark of the second period on a 3-yard toss to Leonard Hill. That score made it 21-7 at that point.
Hardaway got on the board quickly, however, as junior Tyler Raleigh hauled in the ensuing kick and raced 95 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. Zamudio's kick failed, but the Hawks pulled to within a score at 21-13 with 8:33 to play in the half.
Jordan stretched its lead with a pivotal score just before the half. After forcing a Hardaway punt, the Jackets put together a 96-yard drive that took just five plays. Kimbrough hooked up with Dontez Scott for a 68-yard catch-and-run that put Jordan at the Hardaway 15. Aaron Maxwell scored on the next play, going right up the gut for a touchdown. The Ramirez kick was blocked and Jordan would carry the 27-13 lead into the break.
Hardaway drew to within a touchdown on its opening possession of the second half. A 73-yard drive, which featured a 44-yard run by Kareen Wilson, was capped by Lee's one-yard plunge. The Zamudio kick made it 27-20.
Hardaway got an interception on the second play from scrimmage for Jordan, but ended up giving it right back as QB Dominique Ford was chased from the pocket and threw a ball up for grabs that was picked by Jordan's Kaleb Smith, who returned the ball 31 yards to the Jackets' 48.
From there it took seven plays to cover the 52 yards. Kimbrough ran in from one yard to make it 34-20 with 2:29 left in the third.
A big turning point came with the Hawks driving on their next possession. After a couple of first downs, put Hardaway near midfield, Ja'Kobe Ellerbee was stripped of the ball and Jordan's Jaden Jordan recovered. The Jackets would cash that turnover in for what proved to be the deciding score.
Kimbrough capped the four-play 50 yard drive with a three-yard run. A big play was his 28-yard pass to Snead to set up the touchdown. The Ramirez kick made it 41-20 with 11:30 left in the game.
Hardaway would not go away, however, scoring just under three minutes later. Ford capped the 76-yard drive with a 2-yard run. Ellerbee had a 39-yard run during the drive. Zamudio's kick again failed and it was 41-26 with 8:51 left.
Jordan turned the ball over on downs at the Hardaway 22 on the next possession, and Hardaway turned the opportunity into points. The Hawks moved 78 yards in eight plays, highlighted by a 52-yard pass from Ford to Ellerbee. Ford got the score from a yard out to make it 41-33.
Jordan recovered an onside kick attempt, but Hardaway did have one last chance in the last 1:20 of the game but could not move past midfield.
Lee led Hardaway with 18 carries for 125 yards. Kareen Wilson added 120 yards on 10 carries for the Hawks.
Kimbrough was 11-18 passing in the game, but was 9-12 in the first half. He ran the ball 19 times in the game. Snead caught three passes for 87 yards and two TDs.Friday at KinnettHardaway 7 6 7 13--33
Jordan 14 13 7 7--41First Quarter
J--D'Andre Snead 14 pass from Romello Kimbrough (Jogel Ramirez kick), 8:32
H--Marco Lee 6 run (Freddie Zamudio kick), 6:40
J--Snead 45 pass from Kimbrough (Ramirez kick), 4:41Second QuarterJ--Hill 3 pass from Kimbrough (Ramirez kick), 8:49
H--Tyler Raleigh 95 kickoff return, (kick failed), 8:33
J--Aaron Maxwell 15 run (kick failed), 1:58Third QuarterH--Lee 1 run (Zamudio kick), 9:43
J--Kimbrough 11 run (Ramirez kick), 2:29Fourth QuarterJ--Kimbrough 1 run (Ramirez kick), 11:30
H--Dominique Ford 2 run (kick failed), 8:51
H--Ford 1 run (Zamudio kick), 3:03
Team records: Hardaway 1-1, Jordan 1-1. Next: Hardaway, at Central-Carrollton, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. Jordan, vs. Central-Macon, at Kinnett, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 11:54 PM with the headline "Kimbrough leads Jordan past Hardaway ."